From the Campaign Co-Chair

As a mother of an alumnus from the very first Rocky Mountain Semester, I am in a unique position to have witnessed the power of HMI. With some trepidation and great hope, I left my 16-year-old son in the hands of its founders, Molly and Christopher Barnes, in the fall of 1998. What happened to Matt over the course of those four months was nothing short of life-changing. It may sound cliché, yet my son’s growth in maturity, self-assuredness, and intellectual growth was astounding. I will be forever grateful for the gifts he received.

Ten years later, I am honored to serve on the Board of Trustees of the High Mountain Institute. We are embarking upon Our Campaign for Sustainability to secure the permanence of this great institution. HMI was a dream that became a reality through the foresight and tenacity of its founders and those who supported them. However, now it is time for all of us to join in ensuring the sustainability of the institution that provided our children tangible gifts of academic rigor and wilderness experience and offered the intangible rewards of leadership and self-actualization.

My husband and I will never be able to adequately express our thanks to HMI, but we can help to insure its future. It is our privilege to support this campaign with a gift that will help to secure not only the infrastructure and physical plant, but also the creation of an endowment to guarantee the longevity of HMI. As parents who recognize that tuition cannot cover all costs, we ask you to join us in a commitment to the future of HMI with your own gift.

I have absolutely no doubt that, with your help, HMI will achieve its campaign goals. As grateful parents joining together, we have the power to sustain the longevity of a school that helped to shape the children who stand before us today. It is our challenge, our privilege, and our duty.

With great appreciation for your consideration,

Deborah Camalier Walker

Deborah Camalier Walker is a Trustee of the High Mountain Institute and a co-chair of HMI's Campaign for Sustainability. Photo: Deborah and her son, Matt, hiking in the Adirondacks.